Buster Keaton in “The Cameraman.” MGM 1928. Cinematography by Reggie Lanning and Elgin Lessley. Director: Edward Sedgwick.

At the ASC Awards on Saturday, I thought someone was joking when he mentioned that the Oscar for Best Cinematography would be presented during a commercial break.

Alas, it is true: “We [The Academy] believe we have come up with a great way to do this, and keep the show to three hours. While still honoring the achievements of all 24 awards on the Oscars, four categories—Cinematography, Film Editing, Live Action Short, and Makeup and Hairstyling – will be presented during commercial breaks, with their winning speeches aired later in the broadcast.”

Now, I love commercials and most of my career involved shooting them. But I have a suggestion. As Virginia Woolf might have said, it’s colleagues one wants to see, not more commercials. On this great evening celebrating cinema, how about a limit on the same commercials that are repeated multiple times over the course of the 3-hour evening? This would make room for all awards. To pay for this, surely there’s a corporation ready to rally to the call: “The Cinematography Award has been protected…er…presented by…”

Surely there’s a good way for the entire show to go on.